The City of Atlanta announced that Mayor Kasim Reed will participate in the 2017 Chicago Forum on Global Cities. Mayor Reed will join approximately 18 other Mayors from across the world for a discussion centered around “Financing the Global City.” The private roundtable will take place today alongside the 2017 Chicago Forum on Global Cities hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Financial Times.

“I am looking forward to joining the Chicago Forum on Global Cities for the third time,” said Mayor Reed. “This important conversation brings together mayors, business and civic leaders from across the nation, and offers a unique opportunity to share ideas and have candid, thoughtful conversations. I am pleased that the Chicago Council and the Financial Times invited me to join this roundtable discussion to discuss how twenty-first century cities are finding the capital needed to fund the catalytic projects our residents demand.”

The roundtable of Mayors will convene to consider strategic questions of how cities can act—individually and collectively—in new and independent ways to secure the financing they need to make transformative urban development investments a reality. Mayors will explore the role of both collective and individual city action regarding strategic financing and public wealth creation. The conversation will be moderated by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, City of Chicago, and Ivo Daalder, President of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Mayor Reed will discuss the Atlanta BeltLine, a project widely regarded as one of the best and most important urban development projects in the world. The BeltLine has generated a seven to one yield on the $450M public investment representing $3.7B in private investment. As the most visited attraction in the city, the BeltLine touts more than 1.4 million users annually and connects 45 neighborhoods throughout the city. Mayor Reed will also discuss the need for public-private partnerships to address infrastructure needs in cities, especially transportation and transit projects.

Other speakers participating in this year’s forum include Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama Valerie Jarrett, Lord Mayor Brendan Carr of the City of Dublin, Ireland, Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille of the City of Cape Town, South Africa, and President and CEO of Hyatt Hotels Corporation Mark Hoplamazian.

The Chicago Forum on Global Cities brings together global leaders in business, education, civics, and the arts for an integrated, cross-sector dialogue on the power and limitations of global cities to shape the world’s future. Mayor Reed has participated in the Chicago Forum every year since its launch in 2015.